﻿Album Review for Music for the People﻿Bret Coats [Release date 04.07.15]

‘Music For The People’ finds respected sideman Bret Coats in unfamiliar territory as a poacher turned gamekeeper. He cleverly draws on diverse, but related music styles to shape his own musical vision in the company of excellent musicians.

Bret is a southern Californian native and a 26 year Austin,Texas music veteran who also enjoyed a brief stint in Seattle. His second solo album ‘Music For The People’ is a rock, blues, funk, rootsy, soul album all rolled into one. In marketing terms it might be regarded as alt.rock, soul and Americana with bluesy antecedents.

He’s worked with Austin’s finest, from Bobby Mack’s Night Train, the famed Antone’s house band, the Moeller Brothers (from the Fabulous Thunderbirds) and Alan Haynes (who appears on one of the album’s best tracks ‘Hey Now’) and is current the bass playing vocalist with The Texas Cannonballs.

‘Music For The People’ suggests his time has come. The album is ripping affair full of deep grooves, live in the studio riffage and nine dirt-in-the-tracks cuts that are the result of relentless gigging.

Bret plays bass, rhythm guitar and even trumpet on an album that alternatively rocks out, funks things up, and even explores some smouldering Americana.

He thumps out his bass lines with such venom that the songs have an edge that is never smoothed out until the band hits a big groove, a booming hook or a concluding solo.

The album opens with a straight to the vein groove on ‘Listen For The Bass Line’, a song he’s now incorporated into his current band the Texas Cannonballs.

It’s almost an instructional title, as his bass is embedded at the heart of pile driving track that is nicely contorted by Scott Unzicker’s gnawing guitar line and Bret’s own brash trumpet which thickens the hook.

Bret also has one of those wry vocal styles that uses ambivalence as a dynamic device to give the album its uplifting feel.

The band gets funky on the exuberant ‘Magic Man’ which sounds if they pushed every last air molecule round the 1920’s house that doubled as a recording studio.

It makes the following Americana tinged ‘Anna’s Song’ all the more surprising. Producer Nick Jay’s evocative piano line perfectly mirrors Bret’s emotive vocal on a subtle enveloping track that shows the full extent of Bret’s musical sweep. As the band drops in, Nick’s piano engages guitarist Jeff Conti, and the latter’s evocative tones rise above an ascending wall of sound leading to a spacey ending that suggests a filmic landscape.

In sharp contrast, ‘That’s What People Do’ is a slice of whimsical pop and alt.twang , built on an insistent acoustic rhythm track, an imposing pedal steel figure, echo reverb vocals and ever present handclaps.

‘Throw You A Bone’ is an exercise in bristling dynamics that moves from an acoustic and pedal steel intro to a full blown grunge style chorus, that might reflect Bret’s time in Seattle.

‘Music For The People’ has linear feel and an overall flow that starts from Bret’s propulsive bass playing and extends to the intuitive collective interplay.

It all comes together brilliantly on the mighty groove of ‘Hey Now’, which features inspired harp and guitar from Greg Izor and Alan Haynes respectively. When Bret shouts out a celebratory ‘play on’ in the middle of the song, you realise the band is smoking.

His lyrics also convey a sense of humour with light ironic touches on smart word plays. The opening double guitar and organ lines power the muscular funk of ‘Sexy Song’, on which Bret sings ‘I like your piano playing figures’. He’s equally good on the folk-narrative of the contemplative ‘On The Mountain’ which combines history, geography and urban rumour with great acoustic playing.

The exclamatory ‘Look At Me’ rounds things off, as he raps about: ‘standing in line and spreading love while you’re doing so’. The band stretches out on a killer funky groove full of instrumental colour, which is ultimately eclipsed by a descending keyboard line that all too soon signals the end of a fine album. ****

Review by Pete Feenstra

Bret Coats – Music For The People(S/R – 2015)Now here’s a cat who currently lives in Austin, Texas that sounds like a mixture of Iggy Pop, Lou Reed with the slutziness of The Rolling Stones and packed with plenty of blues, rock, funk and Americana for you to foam over.There’s no crappy effects to be found on here and I get the impression that these songs were cut while Bret and the band (The Midnight Marathon Men) were hot and in the pocket of music magicalness. Love the opening ‘Listen For The Bass Line’ that lies parallel to a cut from ‘Exile On Main Street’; the waling raw harp filled blues of ‘Hey Now’ or the Dr. John meets James Brown like ‘Magic Man’‘On The Mountain’ is mind-blowing – a beautiful story-telling song done acoustically about two brothers from North Carolina or the Santana meets funk of ‘Sexy Song’. Definitely an artist that deserves to go gold as long as the A&R don’t go chasing the dollars and ruin the special grooves that Bret has created.So many styles of coolness right here!10/10By Glenn Milliganhttp://www.metalliville.co.uk/bankup/htdocs/CD%20Folder/C-CDS.htm

Live Reviews﻿Texas Cannonballs do what it says on the tin. You can take the boys out of Texas, but they never lose their musical heritage.

Hector Watt is a magnificent rhythm guitarist with a lived-in, growled out vocals and Chicago native Dave Herrero bring presence to bear on roadhouse rocking with muscular solo’s and a resonant voice.

The whole unit is held together by the formidable Austin based player/vocalist Bret Coats. They play the real stuff that originally gave Austin its name as a musical hotbed. They also play a rocking number called ‘Texas Tumbleweed’, which neatly sums up their style

﻿﻿More Album Reviews﻿﻿Bret Coats Music for the People Self-released Bret Coats’ second solo release, Music for the People, calls on his influences ranging from Shuggie Otis and Louis Armstrong to Chuck Prophet, Alejandro Escovedo, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, and more. There’s a bit of retro-feeling rock, blues, and a bit of soul on this new collection, abetted by a certain’– almost – gruffness to Coats’ vocals. There’s a really nice feel’– a slow, vague Lou Reed feel – to the opening “Anna’s Song,” a remembrance of Coats’ sister who died two years ago. “Look at Me” urges us to”“spread some love” and “Bass Line” has a nice sound and feel with its simple lyrics. On “That’s What People Do,” he claims to both love and hate a woman whose name he doesn’t know. Coats has been a full-time high school teacher for the past eight years, and has ridden at 25 skateboard parks with his sons. In addition to his vocals, he adds bass and rhythm guitar. The musicians are Brandon Custer (drums); Nick Jay (keyboards, lead and rhythm guitar, percussion, background vocals); Scott Unziker, Jeff Conti, Alan Haynes, and Charley Wiles (lead and rhythm guitars); and Greg Izor (harmonica). --TOM GEDDI Buddy Magazine

Time for some roots rock meets Americana, courtesy of Bret Coats.He’s a man with a pedigree, having toured and recorded with countless artists, as well as stint playing in Antone’s House Band at the legendary (and now deceased) Austin music venue. So he can certainly play. And he can write songs as well, as this second solo album shows to good effect.

He calls it Alternative Rock & Roll with Soul, which basically means he’s operating in a similar sphere to the likes of Jono Manson. Songs like ‘Listen for the Bass Line’, ‘That’s What People Do’ and ‘On the Mountain’ grab you straight away, with a great mix of grit and melody.

He seems to have found his voice and some sympathetic musicians, so I hope we hear more of his music soon.

Imagine Lou Reed & The Rolling Stones mixed with all the regional flavors of American roots music and that’s the sound of Bret Coats and his new release Music For The People. Bret Coats, Americana rocker, singer, songwriter and bass player currently resides in Austin, Texas and is no stranger to living in other eclectic music cities. After years of following the vibrations from city to city, Coats discovered Austin’s music scene, welcoming him with open arms." Jo Rae Di Menno

Bret Coats & his Roots Music Marathon have played at the best venues in Austin and Central Texas such asThe Continental Club, The Gallery, C Boys Heart & Soul, Antone’s, The Saxon Pub, Strange Brew Lounge Side, River Road Ice House, Texas Music Live on Sun Radio at Guero's, Billy's Ice, Jack's Roadhouse, Willie's Joint, Poodies and many others...

Bret is touring the U.S. & Europe, past/present associations include:

Part of the Antone's House Band (countless Blues & Roots music artist)

Living Blues featured artist The Soul Brothers of Bakersfield

Texas Music ambassador Bobby Mack

The Holy Moeller's (members of The Fabulous Thunder Bird’s, The Red Devils and Mike Flanigin of The BFG’s)

Seattle's Soul Miners Daughter & Mary Mc Page

Guitar Great Alan Haynes

Austin Texas mainstay Barfield The Tyrant Of Funk

European favorites The Texas Cannonballs

Drum Legend Barry Frosty Smith

Ernie Durawa (Doug Sahm, Texas Tornadoes, Delbert McClinton)

International Guitar Sensation Chris Duarte with Texas band Jamie Krueger Group

Full Bio"Growing up in Southern California with cool parents during the 70's and 80's was a place where a lot of music happened." Starting off on trumpet at age seven and bass in high school Bret always found his way to perform. Before leaving California in 1990 Bret had several years of performing with featured Living Blues Artist the Legendary Soul Brothers of Bakersfield (Al Garret, Willie Adams & Robert Walker).

Bret relocated to Austin in 1990 and soon found himself playing seven nights a week with various blues and roots music bands Kill the Head, Storming Heaven, Parker Townsend, Part Time Lovers, Walter Higgs and the Shuffle Pigs, International blues artist Bobby Mack and Night Train and Local/Regional favorites The Holy Moellers from which the many Antone's associations and shows would occur.

Throughout the 90's Bret toured the U.S. and Europe as well as becoming a regular player at the famed Antone's nightclub backing up countless artist and bands. Bret played with a lot of great people and on popular records but somewhere he needed to find his own voice and push himself.

By 2000 Bret had now established a modest music schedule in Seattle playing with the tasteful and well received Soul Miners Daughter & Mary Mc Page Band. Seattle changed Bret's musical flavors and expanded his taste. “This was a great period of learning other instruments and higher education."

Bret moved back to Texas in 2006 to be near his family playing with Texas Funk Tyrant Barfield and international Blues artist Alan Haynes all while raising his family and becoming a full time High School teacher. "Teaching High School is awesome and playing music is awesome, it is a nice mix of humanity."

Currently, Bret is moving into his 4th year as a solo artist and has quickly established his presence as someone to watch. Upon his second release Music for the People Bret found himself touring in Europe and the states in support of his release. His band 'The Roots Music Marathon' has evolved and consist of core members Brandon Custer (Big Beat) drums & Christopher Bell (The Bell Tower) on guitar. Bret also continues to have a healthy sideman life and is teaching as long as possible.Music For The People, Bret's second record was recorded and produced by the incredible Nick Jay at Century Recordings in Dripping Springs,Texas with an early 70's Neve board (tons of history) and a ton of vintage gear.

"The experience was like a higher power or something holy. There was a serious presence. The studio is an old house from the 1920's and it sounded spectacular. We went into the recording with the intent of making it as live as possible (we did great). There were several one and two take tracks. I feel that the stars were all in the right places and that we created something epic with the best songs I have ever written."